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The American Cancer Society has reported the results of a telephone survey in which participants were asked 12 true/false/don't know questions about cancer. The results showed significant misunderstandings with many respondents answering questions incorrectly. Test your knowledge by answering these questions:

1. The risk of dying from cancer in the U.S. is increasing. 2. Living in a polluted city is a greater risk for lung cancer than smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. 3. Some injuries can cause cancer later in life. 4. Electronic devices, like cell phones, can cause cancer in the people who use them. 5. What someone does as a young adult has little effect on their chance of getting cancer later in life. 6. Long-time smokers cannot reduce their cancer risk by quitting smoking. 7. People who smoke low-tar cigarettes have less chance of developing lung cancer than people who smoke regular cigarettes. 8. Personal hygiene products, like shampoo and deodorants, can cause cancer. 9. Getting a mammogram, or using a special X-ray machine to detect breast cancer, can cause cancer of the breast. 10. Getting a base tan or base coat at a tanning salon will provide protection from skin cancer when you go outside in the sun. 11. Underwire bras can cause breast cancer. 12. You cannot get skin cancer from using a tanning booth.

How many questions did you think were true? Turns out all are false! For question 1, 68 percent of survey respondents incorrectly thought this was true, when, in fact, cancer deaths have been decreasing steadily since the 1990s while 5-year survival has been increasing for at least 30 years. The answer to question 2 is also false, although nearly 40 percent of respondents thought it was true with an additional 19 percent uncertain. Smoking far outweighs any other risk factor for developing lung cancer and is much more dangerous than living in a polluted area.

Questions 6 and 7 also relate to smoking and again both are false although 16 percent and 15 percent of respondents, respectively, thought they were true. In fact, stopping smoking, even among long-term smokers does reduce cancer risk, and, research has not shown any difference in cancer risk with low-tar cigarettes.

Interestingly, those rating themselves as being “very informed” about cancer were significantly more likely to have misunderstandings about cancer than were those who considered themselves to be less informed. Moreover, across the board, men were more likely to believe false statements to be true than women.

Read the American Cancer Society's press release on this study here. The full research article can be read here.

Last Updated:8/7/2007

Important: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not Everyday Health. See More

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